This blog is dedicated to treating everyone - clients, prospects, friends, and family - as valuable partners. We should show them our gratitude through all our actions, including our marketing.

May 6, 2012

Appreciation Marketing – Excuses Are a Dime a Dozen

Every so often I meet someone with lots of excuses.Often they have more excuses than they have
clients, or even prospects.Perhaps you
have heard them when you try to meet with them to discuss networking, their
business, your business, even just to get acquainted.They say that their business is slow or even
non-existent, but they are too busy to meet with you.They may even believe that they are too small
to meet and network.

Maybe they are busy with their family, maybe they have to
clear off their desk, perhaps they need to go out of town, or maybe they need
to wash their car.We have heard all
these excuses.Some are close to valid,
but some are just stupid.They are
excuses for excuses’ sake. Who are these
people kidding?They just don’t take
their business seriously, much less their marketing.They have more excuses than they have
clients, or even prospects.

Often these people just do not understand that they need to
market their business to everyone, not just the people that are ready to buy
from them.How anyone would be ready to
buy from them that doesn’t know about them or what they are marketing is beyond
common sense.They believe that business
will “fall into their laps”.I guess that
they were told by someone who brought them into their business that this way of
“not marketing” would be successful.They
cannot understand that it will not work.

It does not matter who you are, what your business is, or
what your product or service is, you will need to market to others, either to individuals
or to businesses.You cannot continue to
exist, grow, and succeed without marketing.Get over whatever you were told or believe, and get out of your shell
and market yourself and your business.Stop making excuses and get past your fears.Everyone has been at that first step of
marketing at some point in their life.The successful businesses have moved forward while the unsuccessful ones
are still trying to step out into the world of marketing.

Maybe you can find a “soul-mate” in your networking that
will help you stop making excuses and get on with your business marketing
life.Maybe you will see how easy it is
by watching others.Perhaps marketing
can be “infectious” like fun; perhaps it can be easily learned from someone who
is willing to “teach” you or “lead” you into this world of being able to reach
out to others that you don’t know.Yes,
this world can be scary to a novice, but your networking partners can
help.Just don’t be making excuses when
they try to help you.

Ask others how they market their businesses, or ask them
what they tried that did not work.Everyone should be willing to help you and teach you from their
experiences.If they aren’t willing to
share their experiences, they may not be the partners with whom you need to
network.Giving to others is just
another version of Appreciation Marketing. Giving to give, not to get, is a guiding light
of successful businesses.

So stop making excuses and get on with the marketing of your
business.Reach out to assist others in
the building of their businesses.Remember
karma?It’s that belief that whatever
you do for others will return to you and your life.Do you still think that your excuses are
valid, and that they will help your success?Then leave me your thoughts and comments, or email me at Jim@SOC4Now.com,
or call me at 360-314-8691. I would love to
chat with you and help you discover that excuses are like an anchor, holding you
back from the success that you, and your business, can achieve.Let’s speak together soon so you can get on
with your successful business life.